editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Gregory Warner is NPR's East Africa Correspondent. His reports cover the diverse issues and voices of a region that is experiencing unparalleled economic growth as well as a rising threat of global terrorism. His coverage can be heard across NPR and NPR.org.Before joining NPR, Warner was a senior reporter for American Public Media's Marketplace, where he endeavored to make the economics of American health care vivid and engaging. He's used puppets to illustrate the effects of Internet diagnoses on the doctor-patient relationship. He composed a Suessian cartoon to explain why health care job growth policies can increase the national debt. His musical journey into the shadow world of medical coding won the 2012 Best News Feature award from the Third Coast International Audio Festival.Prior to Marketplace, Warner was a freelance radio producer reporting from conflict zones around the world. He climbed mountains with smugglers in Pakistan for This American Life, descended into illegalNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Gregory WarnerWed, 31 Aug 2016 07:23:50 +0000Gregory Warnerhttp://kasu.org
Gregory WarnerAs part of the project A Nation Engaged, NPR and member stations are exploring America's role in the world heading into the presidential election.Everyone knew President Obama would say something about gay rights when he visited Kenya last summer. Many American activists were pressing him to publicly condemn Kenya's colonial-era law making homosexuality a crime.But Kenyan gays and lesbians were wary. In the weeks leading up to Obama's visit, Kenyan politicians took to the airwaves to assert their anti-gay bona fides. Deputy President William Ruto gave a guest sermon in a church to announce that Kenya "had no room" for homosexuality. As the vitriol increased, so did the incidents of violence, from assaults to rape."That was the most tense [period] in our life, before Obama came," says John Mathenge, the director of a community center and health clinic in Nairobi called HOYMAS — Health Options for Young Men with HIV/AIDS and STIs. His clinic usually averages 50 visitors a day; in theWhen The U.S. Backs Gay And Lesbian Rights In Africa, Is There A Backlash?http://kasu.org/post/when-us-backs-gay-and-lesbian-rights-africa-there-backlash
78376 as http://kasu.orgTue, 30 Aug 2016 20:31:00 +0000When The U.S. Backs Gay And Lesbian Rights In Africa, Is There A Backlash?Gregory WarnerEditor's note: This post is an adaptation of the latest episode of the Invisibilia podcast and program, which is broadcast on participating public radio stations. In high school, Mireille Umutoni Sekamana aspired to be a club president rather than just secretary. And why not? She lives in a country where women seem to face no barriers, no discrimination.In the Parliament, for example, women hold more than half the seats. No country has a better record than that.And in a ranking of countries by how they had narrowed the gender gap, Mireille's homeland came in sixth in the world. The U.S. was No. 28.There's just one problem: Mireille lives in Rwanda. And even though Rwanda is arguably the most pro-woman country in the world, feminism is not seen as a good thing. In fact, it's something of a dirty word.In high school, Mireille found that teachers and students took for granted that the head of a club should be a boy. When she would stand up in front of her class and ask, "Why can't theInvisibilia: No One Thought This All-Woman's Debate Team Could Crush Ithttp://kasu.org/post/invisibilia-no-one-thought-all-womans-debate-team-could-crush-it
77064 as http://kasu.orgFri, 29 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000Invisibilia: No One Thought This All-Woman's Debate Team Could Crush ItGregory WarnerWhat's red and gold and hailed by most economists?The new African Union passport, unveiled this week at the African Union Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, promises a solution to a major drag on African trade: the red tape that makes it harder for African businesspeople, tourists and workers to travel around their own continent.More than half of the 54 African countries require entry visas for other Africans, according to the Africa Visa Openness Report.Those visas can take days or weeks to apply for, and they make everything more difficult — from hiring foreign staff to traveling on a weekend safari to selling goods across borders.Currently, intra-African trade is at 11 percent — the lowest level of intra-continental trading in the world. (Asia is way above 40 percent.) And the future of African economies depends more on increasing trade among Africans than making deals with China. (Indeed, the rise of the Asian tiger economies in the 1990s was largely spurred by intra-Asian trade.)AcrossAfrica Unveils All-Africa Passport — But So Far Only 2 People Have Onehttp://kasu.org/post/africa-unveils-all-africa-passport-so-far-only-2-people-have-one
76688 as http://kasu.orgWed, 20 Jul 2016 21:17:00 +0000Africa Unveils All-Africa Passport — But So Far Only 2 People Have OneGregory WarnerCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Facebook Blamed For Flare Up In Fighting In South Sudanhttp://kasu.org/post/facebook-blamed-flare-fighting-south-sudan
76654 as http://kasu.orgWed, 20 Jul 2016 09:05:00 +0000Facebook Blamed For Flare Up In Fighting In South SudanGregory WarnerIn 2010, 12-year-old Nathan Eyasu became one of the first skateboarders in Ethiopia.He bought an old board off a guy on the street for a dollar, learned some tricks off YouTube, and proceeded to shock his neighbors like Marty McFly in Back to The Future."They'd be like, 'Is there a magnet in there?' " Eyasu says, laughing. "Nobody knew what skateboarding is."Today, he has plenty of company. In April, Ethiopia opened its first skateboard park, on the grounds of a government youth center in Addis Ababa, where Eyasu lives. The country is hoping to one day take its share of the $5 billion skateboard industry.But for Sean Stromsoe, a 22-year-old photographer from California, the park is also a return to skateboarding's roots.In 2013, Stromsoe came to Ethiopia on assignment and ran into Eyasu and his friends."It was just 20 kids that were sharing, I think five boards?" Stromsoe recalls. He felt as if he was looking back in time — to an era when skateboarding wasn't as commercialized andHow Do You Say 'Gnarly' In Amharic? Ethiopia Gets Its First Skate Parkhttp://kasu.org/post/how-do-you-say-gnarly-amharic-ethiopia-gets-its-first-skatepark
75037 as http://kasu.orgFri, 10 Jun 2016 09:04:00 +0000How Do You Say 'Gnarly' In Amharic? Ethiopia Gets Its First Skate ParkGregory WarnerThe Oromo Federalist Congress, an opposition party in Ethiopia, represents the largest ethnic group in the country, the Oromo.Yet its office in the capital Addis Ababa is virtually deserted, with chairs stacked up on tables. A chessboard with bottle caps as pieces is one of the few signs of human habitation. In a side office, the party's chairman, Merera Gudina, explains why the place is so empty: Almost everyone has gone to prison.The deputy chairman? Prison. The party secretary general? House arrest. The assistant secretary general? In prison. Six members of the party's youth league? All in prison.Critics of the Ethiopian government regularly land in prison. So why isn't Merera Gudina, the chairman of the party and an outspoken critic of the regime, also behind bars?The reason, he says, is what he calls "the game of the 21st century." Less-than-democratic regimes are getting more sophisticated, and instead of completely crushing dissent, they seek to create the appearance ofEthiopia Stifles Dissent, While Giving Impression Of Tolerance, Critics Sayhttp://kasu.org/post/ethiopia-stifles-dissent-while-giving-impression-tolerance-critics-say
74981 as http://kasu.orgWed, 08 Jun 2016 20:07:00 +0000Ethiopia Stifles Dissent, While Giving Impression Of Tolerance, Critics SayGregory WarnerCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Ethiopian Runners Say They Face Discriminationhttp://kasu.org/post/ethiopian-runners-say-they-face-discrimination
74864 as http://kasu.orgSun, 05 Jun 2016 21:32:00 +0000Ethiopian Runners Say They Face DiscriminationGregory WarnerCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Kenya Threatens To Close Refugee Camphttp://kasu.org/post/kenya-threatens-close-refugee-camp
74357 as http://kasu.orgSat, 21 May 2016 21:18:00 +0000Kenya Threatens To Close Refugee CampGregory WarnerTo burn or not to burn? That is the question facing African countries in their fight against the multimillion-dollar illegal ivory trade.Kenya, which introduced the world to burning ivory in 1989, still thinks it's a good idea. On Saturday morning, it hosted the most spectacular burn event yet: The tusks of nearly 7,000 elephants — 105 metric tons' worth — were set alight in 11 separate pyres in Nairobi's National Park.The tusks, taken from elephants that were poached as well as from those that died naturally, were collected from Kenya's parks and confiscated at its ports.The haul represents the bulk of Kenya's entire ivory stockpile. In addition, a 1.5-ton basket of rhino horn was set on fire. All told, more than $300 million worth of contraband went up in flames."Kenya is leading the way in saying that ivory has no value, unless it's on an elephant," says Robin Hollister, an engineer and pyrotechnics expert, as he adjusts the knobs on an air compressor.In a vast, muddy field inUp In Flames: Kenya Burns More Than 100 Tons Of Ivoryhttp://kasu.org/post/flames-kenya-burns-more-100-tons-ivory
73512 as http://kasu.orgSat, 30 Apr 2016 12:19:00 +0000Up In Flames: Kenya Burns More Than 100 Tons Of IvoryGregory WarnerCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.China Breaks Ground On Naval Base In Africahttp://kasu.org/post/china-breaks-ground-military-base-africa
73036 as http://kasu.orgMon, 18 Apr 2016 09:03:00 +0000China Breaks Ground On Naval Base In AfricaGregory WarnerThere's a stealthy nighttime battle taking place on the African savannah. It's a place where poachers stalk their prey — the animals that graze there. And they, the poachers, are in turn stalked by rangers trying to bring them in.Now those rangers are trying out some new equipment using the kind of technology pioneered by the military.On an evening ride in Kenya's Maasai Mara, park ranger Martine Cheruiyot hoists a 20-pound gray tube and screws it on top of a jeep. It looks a bit like an X-ray machine in a dentist's office. But this giant can read thermal waves — it sees a person's body heat a mile away.Another camouflaged ranger rolls canvas over the windshield to block any light from revealing the jeep's position. Cheruiyot and his colleague David Aruara huddle in the front seat over a gray monitor.Scores of white dots appear on the screen, each dot smaller than the shoe on a Barbie.Even staring at these little dots, I can barely tell an elephant from a zebra. But Cheruiyot canStalking Poachers With High-Tech Cameras And Old-Fashioned Smartshttp://kasu.org/post/stalking-poachers-high-tech-cameras-and-old-fashioned-smarts
72887 as http://kasu.orgWed, 13 Apr 2016 22:48:00 +0000Stalking Poachers With High-Tech Cameras And Old-Fashioned SmartsGregory WarnerEmployers want to hire the best and the brightest to get the job done.So do terrorist groups.In Africa, terrorist groups are actively recruiting well-educated boys and girls. The groups want recruits who can be leaders, who know how to give orders, who can boost the brand on social media.One Kenyan teacher is fighting back — and his efforts have made him a candidate for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, which comes with a $1 million award.His name is Ayub Mohamud. A business studies teacher at Eastleigh Boys School in Nairobi, he's the Somali-Kenyan founder of a group called Teachers Against Violent Extremism. The goal is to teach high school students how to rebuff recruiters from terrorist groups."These extremist groups, they like young men who are educated," says Mohamud. "Like in the Garissa University Attack. "In the attack by Al-Shabaab on Garissa University last year in Kenya's Northeast, 147 students were killed. One of the lead gunmen was a graduate of Nairobi's topLesson Plan: Teach Students How To Rebuff Terrorist Recruitershttp://kasu.org/post/lesson-plan-teach-students-how-rebuff-terrorist-recruiters
71444 as http://kasu.orgFri, 11 Mar 2016 10:17:00 +0000Lesson Plan: Teach Students How To Rebuff Terrorist RecruitersGregory WarnerIt's known as the only national park in the world with a skyscraper skyline. Nairobi National Park, in the Kenyan capital, boasts elephants, giraffe, rhinos and lions roaming freely across a savannah a mere 4-mile drive from downtown.But last night, the proximity of urban and natural environments got a bit too close.Up to six lions escaped the confines of the park and were seen wandering in a residential area. Kenya Wildlife Service officials expressed bafflement Friday when reporters asked them how the lions escaped. Nairobi residents shrugged. Escape? This is not a zoo, people. More like the lions ... strayed.Although the park is bounded on three sides by an electric fence, the southern side of the park is open. Animals use that passage to follow their natural migration routes.Before daybreak, park rangers were tracking the lions with tranquilizer guns — and toll-free numbers. They traced the lions into Kibera, one of the world's largest slums. "I hear there are lions on the loose,"What Happened When The Lions Got Loose In Nairobihttp://kasu.org/post/what-happened-when-lions-got-loose-nairobi
70598 as http://kasu.orgFri, 19 Feb 2016 18:34:00 +0000What Happened When The Lions Got Loose In NairobiGregory WarnerIt may not sound like a reward, being a soldier chosen to fight as a peacekeeper in war-torn Somalia or Central African Republic. But for soldiers from one of the poorest countries in the world, Burundi, it's seen as an opportunity of a lifetime. Soldiers angle to wear the blue helmet — and to pull an international salary and other benefits, covered by the United Nations.But just how far will soldiers go to obtain a peacekeeping post? Some may be going to troubling extremes. The U.N. has ordered three Burundian peacekeepers posted in the Central African Republic to return to Burundi for human rights abuses committed in their home country. It's lifted the lid on a disturbing incentive system that begins with how coveted these postings are.Yolande Bouka is a researcher for the Institute for Security Studies based in South Africa. She says U.N. peacekeepers earn at least 10 times the salary they would make as soldiers at home in Burundi. "Even more important for some of the soldiers isBurundian Peacekeeping Abroad Can Fuel Conflict At Homehttp://kasu.org/post/burundian-peacekeeping-abroad-can-fuel-conflict-home
70374 as http://kasu.orgSat, 13 Feb 2016 21:40:00 +0000Burundian Peacekeeping Abroad Can Fuel Conflict At HomeGregory WarnerWhen Netflix announced its expansion to 130 countries, including Kenya, Nairobi-based IT specialist Mark Irungu says he was thrilled.He had never failed to find ways to stream Netflix, even when it was blocked in Kenya.But, he says, touching his heart, "that morning, when I saw that Netflix is global? I can't compare it to anything else."And then he delivers one of the sweetest analogies about media access I have ever heard: "Think of it as a child who tries to get sugar from the sugar bowl. And they're doing it illegally when Mom's not looking. And one day Mom says, 'Hey, you can have all the sugar you want.' "His sugar? It's the Netflix drama Narcos, which follows the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and his Colombian drug cartel. Irungu finished watching Season 1 in a day.His joy that day wasn't just about the convenience of being able to stream legally or the superior quality that his legitimate subscription bestowed. It was about feeling invited, included in the global community.AndIs Netflix Chill? Kenyan Authorities Threaten To Ban The Streaming Sitehttp://kasu.org/post/netflix-chill-kenyan-authorities-threaten-ban-streaming-site
69422 as http://kasu.orgThu, 21 Jan 2016 21:35:00 +0000Is Netflix Chill? Kenyan Authorities Threaten To Ban The Streaming SiteGregory WarnerIt's a hard life for Tanzanian public officials these days.No more driving your limousine to villages.No more flying first class to meetings in Europe.You can't even send Christmas cards on the taxpayer's dime.President John Magufuli, elected in October, has banned these things. He canceled the country's Independence Day celebrations, saying it would be shameful to spend millions of dollars on fancy parties and military parades in a country battling cholera. And he even restricted the amount of refreshments allowed at official meetings."There will be only juices and water," says Emmanuel Makundi, a journalist for Radio France's International Swahili service in Dar es Salaam. "And maybe some bananas. But the president says, you can take your breakfast at home!"The president's love of austerity has even inspired a hashtag: #WhatWouldMagufuliDoTanzanians are posting photos of tongue-in-cheek money-saving measures: using office markers as a cheap fill-in for eyeliner, replacing a brokenThis Politician's Philosophy: No Perks For Youhttp://kasu.org/post/politicians-philosophy-no-perks-you
68850 as http://kasu.orgWed, 06 Jan 2016 22:15:00 +0000This Politician's Philosophy: No Perks For YouGregory WarnerPolitical violence has engulfed the African nation of Burundi. The U.N. Security Council has passed a resolution to try and prevent potential genocide, while refugees have been pouring into neighboring Rwanda. Among them is a group of musicians who fled their homes without any instruments.Bertrand Ninteretse is a Burundian video artist and rapper who goes by the name Kaya Free. In April, he videotaped the death of a fellow protester shot by Burundian police. The protests were targeting the president, Pierre Nkurunziza, who'd defied the constitution and seized a third term in office. Since then, Nkurunziza's police and party militias have cracked down on anyone seen as anti-government. In this country of only six million, more than 200,000 have fled. Kaya says he had to flee because he was on a police hit list.When he reached the Rwandan capital of Kigali, he grabbed his smartphone and started tracking down his friends."Now we have Whatsapp, we have Facebook," Kaya says. "We can write, In Exile, Burundian Musicians Create Out Of Crisishttp://kasu.org/post/exile-burundian-musicians-create-out-crisis
68577 as http://kasu.orgTue, 29 Dec 2015 21:19:00 +0000In Exile, Burundian Musicians Create Out Of CrisisGregory WarnerIt's a recurring question throughout many parts of Africa: How long should a leader stay in power?Rwanda's President Paul Kagame is the only president the country has had since 2000, and his tenure has been marked by stability and relative prosperity.Now he's toying with the idea of running for a third term. Such moves by presidents in the neighboring states of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have led to unrest.Last Friday, more than 90 percent of Rwandan voters said yes to modifying the constitution by removing a two-term limit and clearing the way for Kagame to run again — and again and again. In theory, he could remain in power for another 17 years.The White House immediately criticized the referendum. President Obama has been consistent in his call for African leaders to adhere to term limits. But Rwanda's approach — using a referendum to give voters the power to support a constitutional amendment — may be one of the trickiest to counter.In a speech to the nation onRwanda's President Dangles The Possibility Of A Third Termhttp://kasu.org/post/rwandas-president-dangles-possibility-third-term
68333 as http://kasu.orgMon, 21 Dec 2015 22:52:00 +0000Rwanda's President Dangles The Possibility Of A Third TermGregory WarnerCan you fight terrorists the same way you battle ordinary criminals?A prominent Kenyan crime fighter, Mohamud Saleh, is betting you can. He's testing his theory in Garissa, a city in northeastern Kenya thrust into the spotlight this April when Islamist militants attacked a campus dorm, killing 147 students.Long before Garissa had a terrorism problem, it had a problem with bandits, as Daud Yussuf, a Kenyan journalist, remembers.Back in 1993, Yussuf was a ninth-grader whose father couldn't afford his school fees. So Daud traveled 60 miles to his uncle to get the money. On the way back home, the bus was hijacked."They took all the personal belongings that we had, including my shoes and my school fees," he says. "So banditry was a menace."Banditry was so bad in northeastern Kenya that it was seen as a separate, lawless region unto itself. It's the area along the Somali border, and its population is mostly ethnic Somali.But that all began to change, in a near legendary manner, when SalehKenyan Lawman Vows To Defeat Terrorism The Way He Fought Crimehttp://kasu.org/post/kenyan-lawman-vows-defeat-terrorism-way-he-fought-crime
65285 as http://kasu.orgTue, 06 Oct 2015 18:00:00 +0000Kenyan Lawman Vows To Defeat Terrorism The Way He Fought CrimeGregory Warnerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec3Zn7UuUzM Taylor Swift may be the world's No. 1-selling artist, but she might have a hard time getting airplay in some countries.In South Africa, 55 percent of the content on radio stations as well as community and public TV has to be local.Nigeria has a law that more than 70 percent of the music played on radio must be by local artists.Kenyan artists want Kenya to do the same. Musicians there are pushing for a law that would force Kenyan radio stations to devote 70 percent of their playlists to Kenyan music (and 70 percent of TV programming to Kenyan films)."I want more local songs in the chart," says Yusuf Noah, the 34-year-old CEO of Grandpa Records (his stage name is Refigah). His label features what he calls the "Kenyan sound," based on Benga, a local music that originated in the mid-20th century.Add an overlay of Swahili rap and dance-hall beats to that traditional rhythm, and you get something like the rapper V-Sita's "Hivo Ndio Kunaendaga," or Stop The Foreign Music! African Pop Stars Ask For Government Helphttp://kasu.org/post/stop-foreign-music-african-pop-stars-ask-government-help
63235 as http://kasu.orgTue, 18 Aug 2015 20:29:00 +0000Stop The Foreign Music! African Pop Stars Ask For Government Help